


hungry (like the wolf)

by loracarol



Series: I'm lost and I'm found [1]
Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Gen, I'm Bad At Titles, Werewolf AU, canon ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 14:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14167383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loracarol/pseuds/loracarol
Summary: The first time Imelda sees the wolf, it goes like this.





	hungry (like the wolf)

The first time she sees the wolf, she’s stomping home from Señor García’s ranch, anger pulsating through every limb. She had struck a deal with him; his leather was well known for its quality, and she had been hoping - desperately - for a chance to prove her worth as a shoemaker. There was other leather, of course, from other sources, and some of it was just as good - but none for the price of the bargain they’d struck. She’d have to recheck her finances, and try again.

 

And the man, that rude, _arrogant_ man, had claimed that a _wolf_ had attacked his herds. He hadn’t even had the courtesy to claim it had been a _pack_ of wolves. She wouldn’t have believed him still, not with how few wolves there were still, but he could have at least _tried_.

 

There hadn’t even been a carcass. She could handle seeing it; it was just a cow, she had been to the butcher shop. But there was none. She trembled in anger. “No se,” he had said, apologetically. “No se.”

 

She wondered how much he’d sold them for, how much more he’d gotten by reneging on their deal. “When _Rivera Zapataria_ gets big,” she muttered, always ‘when’, never ‘if’, “when it gets big, he’ll have to pay _double_.” She wouldn’t ban him from the store; that would be unprofitable.

 

Working herself up was doing her no good; Imelda decided instead focus on her designs. They would be sturdy shoes; work shoes. She wanted to make them to last, so people would invite their family, and their family’s family to buy shoes from her. She wanted her name to spread throughout all of Mexico, and maybe _he_ would -

 

\- No, no time for that. She was usually so good at ignoring _him_ , at putting _him_ out of her mind. But today of all days… _It's a good thing I have no husband_ , she thought wryly, _or today might have been our anniversary_.

 

She wasn’t yet halfway home when she saw the splash of red between the trees. Tightening her grip on her _Mondragón_ , she crept forward to take a look. Better to know what was going on, and be wary, then to ignore it, and be surprised. The shock grew on her slowly, as she realized it was one of García’s prized cattle. Looking up from the carcass, she realized she was staring into the eyes of the largest wolf she had ever seen.

 

Shock turned to unreasonable anger as she shook with fear? Rage?

 

Did it matter?

 

She had been seen, it didn’t matter what she did, what she said. She was done for anyway. Coco would grow up without a mother, a matching set with that damned _musico_.

 

“How _dare_ you.” She whispered hoarsely.

 

The wolf cocked his head. His head was the size of a _Xolo_ , his paws were as big as Coco’s head. She was as good as gone, and yet -

 

“ _How dare you,_ ” she said again, wishing she had something larger than a _Mondragón_ . Maybe a _cannon_. “ _I needed that._ Why couldn’t you have gone after _chickens_ or _sheep_ or something I  _don’t need_ _for shoe making_!”   

 

The wolf had eyes as brown as _his_ had been, as brown as Coco’s were, and a sick feeling began to grow in her stomach as she thought of her daughter. “Lo siento, Señor Lobo, you need to eat.” She was still shaking. “Please, let me go home, I have a child, a daughter, and her father is-” There was no reason to try and bargain with it, no reason for the words spilling out of her mouth, but she couldn’t stop herself. Anger had given way to sheer terror as she imagined her brothers’ finding her body, Coco growing up alone.

 

Loved, always. But alone.

 

The wolf just stared at her, brown eyes looking almost pained, almost sad. He stood up, and she noticed for the first time the scars on his body, how skinny he was. For a moment, she almost felt sorry for the beast. She refused to close her eyes. She wanted to know where he was at all times.

 

The two stared at each other, then the wolf bowed his head, and dragged the carcass away, disappearing into the woods. Imelda gasped, hands trembling, adrenaline racing. She hadn’t ever expected, she hadn’t ever believed -

 

A pawprint was on the ground, and she almost puked at the sheer size of it. Shaking her head, Imelda returned to the path, and continued walking home, _Mondragón_ at the ready. It wouldn’t hurt the beast, but maybe… Maybe… Someone would hear her, at least.

 

Coco would at least know the fate of one of her parents.

 

The stress was unbearable as Imelda made her way to the city, twitching at every noise. The wolf had left her alone, but for how long? A howl in the distance made her startle, and she ran the rest of the way home, determined to make it before sunset.  

 

Once home, she found she couldn’t focus, not on shoe making, not on their finances, not on her brothers’, not even on _Coco_ , though she tried. She made dinner mechanically, and ate it without tasting it. She hated seeing the pity in her brothers’ eyes, as they helped get Coco ready for bed. They thought she was wound tighter than a coiled spring for a completely _different_ reason. This was just an ordinary day. Nothing special happened on this day, nothing remarkable. It had been her wedding day, once, but that was unimportant. What was important was that she, unlike _him,_ had made her way home.

 

And she definitely didn’t break down in her bedroom, hating how even the warmth of the sheets - or lack thereof - could affect her mood.  

 

She could hear Coco singing to herself before bed. It had been four years, and she still thought… She still hoped…

 

In the distance, she could hear the wolf, singing his own sad song. It made her stomach turn, but she couldn’t go back out and face everyone, not yet. She would tell her _familia_ about the wolf in the morning. Maybe even listen to the gossip in the market, see what people were saying about the _lobo gigante_. Then there would be work to do, it would be just another day. She would be fine.

 

She would be fine.

 

(She notices, obliquely, that the wolf stops taking cattle, and takes only sheep, only chickens. She assumes that the farmers have gotten better at protecting their herds, and doesn’t stop to think on anything else it might mean.)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this [this](http://loracarol.tumblr.com/tagged/werewolf%20au/chrono) set of posts I made, like an idiot. |D  
> 


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